CCTV footage shows four-year-old Jeremy playing in his front yard in Southwest Bakersfield, California, when a neighbour's dog – an 8-month-old Labrador-Chow mix – spots him under a car and dashes round and starts to attack him.

Grabbing the boy around his leg, the dog sinks his teeth in and pulls Jeremy off his bike.

But seemingly out of nowhere, Jeremy's cat – named Tara – runs into sight, pouncing on the dog and knocking him off the boy.

The dog is startled away and the cat stands guard to make sure the dog doesn't come back for more.

GASH: The dog sunk his teeth into the boy's leg [IG]

INJURIES: Jeremy had to be stitched up after the attack [IG]

PALS: Tara is Jeremy's hereo after saving him from the attack [ABC NEWS]

“Tara is my hero”

Jeremy

Jeremy's mum, Erica Triantafilo, is seen rushing over to her son and pulling him away to safely.

The young lad suffered a few nasty bites to his leg that had to be stitched up, but apart from that he is fine.

He told ABC23: "Tara is my hero."

The owners of the dog – who said it did not like children or bicycles – have handed it in to authorities and it will soon be put down.